Circular City Funding Guide (https://www.circularcityfundingguide.eu/) was launched 31 January 2020 at the Cities Forum in Porto, Portugal.
The guide provides information and support on funding and financing of the Circular Economy in an urban context. It was initiated as one of the actions under the Urban Agenda Partnership for Circular Economy and developed by external service providers and EIB experts involved in and funded by the European Investment Advisory Hub, a partnership between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission.
The guide has two main target groups: fund-seekers and funders of circular projects in cities. Fund-seekers can be local governments, businesses, and other actors that are active in urban contexts. Funders can be financial entities as well as public authorities that aim to set up a funding programme for circular projects.

In its recent Communication of December 2019 regarding the European Green Deal, the Commission committed to adopt a new Circular Economy Action Plan in order to accelerate and continue the transition towards a Circular Economy. The Commission plans to adopt the Action Plan together with the Industrial Strategy in order to mobilize the industrial sector and all the value chains towards a model of sustainable and inclusive growth, ensuring efficient and clean resource cycles.
The European Green Deal further highlights the potential of a Circular Economy for new economic activities and jobs. Based on the Circular Economy Monitoring Framework already 4 million people work in Circular Economy related activities. That number has increased since 2012 by 6%. Furthermore, these activities generated almost EUR 147 billion in value added in 2016. According to the Commission, the new action plan will reinforce these positive trends.
The new plan will contribute to increasing the circularity of the EU’s economy, preserving its natural environment and supporting the contribution of the EU’s industry to achieve a climate-neutral continent. It will stimulate markets for climate-neutral and circular products and services, modernise the EU’s economy and reap the benefits of the transition in the EU and beyond. The Commission considers that there is a lot needed to move away from a linear economy and mitigate its associated impacts on the environment, for example in terms of biodiversity loss and climate change.
The new Circular Economy Action Plan is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2020. On 6 January of this year the Commission invited all stakeholders to provide feedback on the relevant roadmap (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2019-7907872_en). The process closed on 20 January 2020.

Ecomondo is the European fair for industrial and technological innovation in circular economy.
Ecomondo is an international event with an innovative format that brings together all sectors of the circular economy on a single platform: from the recovery of materials and energy to sustainable development.
The 23rd edition of the Expo will take place in Rimini from 5 to 8 November 2019.
More information about the event can be found at:
https://www.ecomondo.com/.

The forum took place in Rome on 7-8 October 2019. The event is annual and is promoted by Unioncamere. Eurochambres is the association that represents the European Chambers of Commerce (1700 rooms). During the forum they talked about sustainable economic growth and the role that the chamber system can play in this sector.
More information can be found at:
https://eurochambres-economic-forum.eu.

Italian trade associations in the sectors of industry, crafts, agriculture and commerce have signed the “Carta per la sostenibilità e la competitività delle imprese nell’economia circolare“ with the frame of collaborating for the transition of Italian companies towards the circular economy. More information can be found in:
https://circulareconomynetwork.it/2019/02/11-associazioni-firmano-la-carta-delleconomia-circolare-tes/.

The 3^rd project meeting of CIRCLE-IN took place in Lefkada, on June 11-12, 2019, with the participation of all project partners. The aim of the meeting was to assess project progress and to revise and confirm planning of activities for the next 6 months. Critical decisions were taken regarding the pilot actions of the project and the activities that will lead to the drafting of the Joint Strategy for the promotion of Circular Economy in the cross-border area of Greece-Italy.